NomiDemekin

Thats good to know. Still, this is my first time with a planted tank, and even though I've been researching as much as I can, I'm still terrified I'll unwittingly kill my plants. But that's just me being paranoid.

It's been a few days since I've added the HC and Pogostemon to my tank, and I've noticed that some of the leaves seem to be dying off. But at the same time, I can already see a noticeable amount of new growth and the color of the plants is much better. Is this just the plants adjusting?

Thanks for the replies! I'll absolutely be PM'ing you BlackMumba, and take a gander at your website.

Helloo everyone. I've been keeping an eye out for a betta to inhabit my 10 gallon planted tank, and I was wondering if anyone here sold bettas, or knew a good source for bettas in Edmonton? I've been throwing around the idea of ordering a betta from aquabid, but I would much rather buy one from someone in Canada, and dodge the shipping fee's. I think I've seen a few people on here who sell bettas.

Thank you both for the replies! They were immensely helpful. I do have a large pair of tweezers to help with planting.

I'm planning on going looking for some HC and Pogostemon today, and I know the basics of planting, but I'm still worried that my noobishness will destroy the plants as soon as I look at them. When you are planting, should you completely burry the roots in the substrate, or should you leave them partially uncovered?

Good idea. I just don't want to get in trouble, or get anyone working there in trouble.

I was wondering if I could take some pictures of fish while I'm at Big Al's? These would be just for personal use, just for fun basically. Of course I'll ask when I'm there before I take any pictures, but has anyone else done this? Would it be alright?

Good to know! I've actually been looking at the bettas on aquabid (and getting drool all over the screen as a result). There are some amazing fish on there. Has anyone here had experience ordering equipment and/or fish from aquabid?

Thank you all very much for the replies! I've currently got 6700K, 28 watt full-spectrum compact fluorescent lamp. The tank is a ten gallon tank, which is around 12 inches deep. I do have a small piece of driftwood, it's been soaking for the past week and will continue to soak for a bit. I do plan to do weekly or bi-weekly water changes, depending on what is needed. I have my drop test kit all ready to go once I start the tank up. The cover that came with the tank has a very unfortunately placed hinge in the middle that would block a good portion of the light, so I'll be replacing that with a plain glass cover. Great suggestion about keeping the glass clean, I didn't think of that. I have read that java fern will sometimes 'burn' under high light, but I'll be placing the light more to the front and the java fern to the back, which should also make a nice retreat for the betta (as well as under the driftwood). One last question for now... where would one get a long pair of tweezers and scissors to assist with planting and trimming? Thank you all again!

Thank you all very much for the replies! I've currently got 6700K, 28 watt full-spectrum compact fluorescent lamp. The tank is a ten gallon tank, which is around 12 inches deep. I do have a small piece of driftwood, it's been soaking for the past week and will continue to soak for a bit. I do plan to do weekly or bi-weekly water changes, depending on what is needed. I have my drop test kit all ready to go once I start the tank up. The cover that came with the tank has a very unfortunately placed hinge in the middle that would block a good portion of the light, so I'll be replacing that with a plain glass cover. Great suggestion about keeping the glass clean, I didn't think of that. I have read that java fern will sometimes 'burn' under high light, but I'll be placing the light more to the front and the java fern to the back, which should also make a nice retreat for the betta (as well as under the driftwood). One last question for now... where would one get a long pair of tweezers and scissors to assist with planting and trimming?

Hello. I have a question (well, I'n going to cheat and ask a bunch of questions) regarding the intensity of lighting for a planted tank. I'm new to the world of aquatic plants, and I've been doing as much research as I can. Quite a bit of the health of plants relies on the lighting, including the intensity, with different plants needing intensity (low, high, ect). Except I can't seem to find any sort of consensus on what high light, for example, actually is. On my ten gallon I currently have 3 wpg. Some sources state that 3 wpg is high/moderate lighting, others say it is low lighting. Which has me a bit confused, and wondering what source is correct. The main reason I'm wondering is because I would very much like to try to grow some HC cuba, and from what I've read over the past while, it thrives best in moderate-high light. As well, how does java fern handle mid-high light? Does it form more compact growth as some plants so, or will it grow taller?

Thank you both for the replies! I've been soaking the wood in water since yesterday (In very warm water, but not quite boiling) and the tannins only seem to be discoloring the water to the color of a very light tea. Still, I'll try boiling it today to see how that goes. I'm just starting up the tank (No plants or fish in there yet). Once the driftwood boils I'll be working on planning the hardscape/plantscape.

I've recently gotten a nice piece of mopani driftwood for my 10 gallon, and as of right now it's soaking in warm water. But I would like to boil it to speed up the process. How long should I boil it for, and are there any other preparations I should do after boiling it?

Thanks! For the shrimp, I'm bouncing back and forth as to wether or not to get them. I did initially like the idea of shrimp to help out with any algae, and they did come up a few times as suitable tankmates (in the case that the betta does not eat them). I may test out with a few 'feeder' shrimp to see how that goes, perhaps introducing them before the betta. If that doesn't work out, I'd scrap the shrimp idea and look for another suitable algae eater.

So, I've been researching the maintenance/ect of keeping a planted tank for the past week or so, but I still have a bus load of questions! I've decided upon some of the plants I would like to keep, hemianthus callitrichoids 'Cuba' (for the ground cover/carpet) and US Fissidens (which I will attach to some driftwood). I may also put some pogostemon helferi in there as well. Would this plant be compatible (able to thrive in the same temperature/substrate) as the HC 'Cuba'? Speaking of substrates, what are some good/easy to locate (in Edmonton) substrates? Any suggestions for good fertilizers? Should I use liquid or dry? For the carpet plants to create a short and compact ground cover, I know I need high lighting. Considering the tank will be around 10 gallons, and shorter than it is wide, will lighting around 3-5 wpg be suitable? Should I aim higher or lower? As well, will high lighting bother the intended inhabitant of the tank (a betta and possibly a few shrimp)? Is one able to buy lighting hoods/covers for a planted tank, or is this something I should make myself? With a betta in there, will the amount of CO2 be suitable or should I make a DIY CO2 container? That's it for now, I think. I really do apologize for the amount of questions! Any wand all help will be immensely appreciated!

Thank you everyone for the suggestions! I guess cherry shrimp are out then. I had just been browsing betta websites and forums and cherry shrimp came up repeatedly as a suitable tankmate, depending on the temperment of the betta.

I think it sounds possible. Any goldfish you put in there will most likely decimate the mosquito population. I would remind people that each adult common/comet (aka 'feeder') goldfish need a bare minimum of 20 gallons per fish, but it sounds like you have that part covered! :thumbs: I would say that you would probably need more and/or larger temporary containers, to avoid any health/water/stunting problems (I would hesitate to put them in anything less than 10 G per fish, even as a temporary home). 'Feeders' (like all goldfish) will get big fast, but they do make very attractive pond fish, and they will help control any mosquito population. Don't forget to have filters on the temporary containers (for a pond that big with only a dozen goldfish you may not need any extra filtration, as long as there is some sort of air stone/waterfall/fountain to help get oxygen in the water). As for overwintering, I do know that goldfish can be overwintered in some places, surviving well even under a thin layer of ice. However, I don't know for sure how they would stand up to Alberta winters (not having a pond myself). Good luck with your large pond, and any goldfish if you decide to get them!

I am about to start up a betta tank once more, and I've recently become addicted to looking at various aquascapes. Which has inspired me to make a planted betta tank. And I was wondering what plants would make an hardy/easy carpet cover for the tank? I'm planning on a 5 gallon, 'scaped to look like a tree on a hill (With a piece of driftwood planted with moss, which I also mean to ask about), with a betta and a few cherry shrimp as the residents. Considering I've never kept a planted tank before, I'm expecting this to be quite the project. So, any suggestions for the carpet/ground cover? As well, what substrate/filtration/CO2/lighting setup would I need?

Thank you! I have no experience with koi, but I'll absolutely try to help you out with any questions or concerns you have if I can. My parents were much the same ("Why would you need a tank for goldfish?" and "You could fit ten goldfish in the 30 gallon tank!") fortunately, a combination of the internet (including pictures of Bruce, and a cookie to all those who know who Bruce is) and some very helpful and knowledgeable pet store staff helped convince them. They still bring it up once in a while, especially since the pet goldfish at the shop haven't grown much in the past year (due to the overcrowding I fear). Perhaps having them talk to a knowledgeable aquarium store employee, or have them read some articles on the internet? Goldfish themselves need large aquariums, and koi are in a whole other ballpark. Koi are pretty much strictly pond fish (or really big aquarium fish), needing 100-200 G per fish (I'm not %100 sure on the exact number, I'll have to look it up). Good luck with your koi! I wish I could help more.

Yep, fancy varieties, with the right care, regularly get over 10 inches long in length, commons feeders and other single tailed varieties (and sometimes fantails and other pond varieties like wakins and jinkins) can get much bigger. Thank you very much for your concern (it's always nice when people don't return to the 'goldfish bowl' myth), but no worries, I've done excessive research on goldfish and own a few pet quality ones that live in a 30 gallon at my parents work (already overstocked with 3 fancies in there, but I constantly test the water and they get two water changes a week. I cannot wait until I get a larger tank to move them into). Before I got those fish I joined a goldfish keeping forum where I've learnt way to much about goldfish. I know most of the basics, such as the 10-20 gallon minimum per fish (at least 15 per fancy variety if it is to be their final home, the bigger the better), the need for a variety of food, with more protein as young fish. How to groom the fish to show their potential, the benefits of green-water, the need for heavy duty filtration, ect.

CHECK OUT "DAD'S FISHROOM" WAAAAAAAAAAAAY BEFORE YOU GO TO BIG AL'S .. HENRY HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST!!! DAD'S FISHROOM is Nature's Corner All the more reason to go! I've just got the go ahead to make a planted betta tank (one of the very few downsides of being one of them teenagers is having to wait for permission to start up a tank), so now I'll have an excuse to make the expedition out to big al's and nature's corner. While I'm there I'll ask about there goldfish.

Are you talking about the 'unique fantail goldfish' that are on used edmonton? If so, then I'm sure they'll make someone a great pet, but I'm looking for fish more like those on the online goldfish auctions, such as goldfishconnection.com or goldfishnet.com. Which are nothing close to the amazing show quality goldfish in China, Japan, Singapore, ect, but are still better than the average pet store goldfish. Thank you for the tip though!

Thank you. I've always ment to go check out Natures Corner, now I just have more of a reason to. I do recall seeing some pretty nice goldfish in Big Al's. Anybody wouldn't happen to know where they get their goldfish from, would they?

Hello everyone. I was wondering if anyone here knew of some aquarium/pet stores in and around Edmonton that carry better quality fish that the usual chain pet store goldfish? I'm specifically looking for demekins/telescope eye goldfish and ranchus, but any quality goldfish would certainly be a sight for sore eyes.